A 14-year-old teen from Florida has pled guilty in a disturbing case involving the assault of a 91-year-old woman back in June.
The teen, identified as Jesse Stone of Reddick, initially pleaded not guilty in August. It is unclear why he changed his plea to guilty.
Stone is set to be sentenced on Dec. 19. He will be tried as an adult. The maximum sentence he faces remains unclear, according to WKMG.
Teen Assaults 91-Year-Old
On the evening of June 9, the 91-year-old victim woke up to find Stone inside her home. He snuck in through an unlocked door. The boy then punched and sexually assaulted the victim, who fought back until he stopped. He then fled the scene. The victim was immediately brought to the hospital, where she told police about the attack.
In the immediate aftermath of the crime, law enforcement offered $5,000 for any information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
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Authorities Identifies, Charged the Suspect
During the investigation, Stone reportedly approached deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office and told them that a neighbor had found "something" on their surveillance footage. The video showed a figure matching Stone jogging past the victim's home.
Stone initially denied he was the person in the video. However, detectives were able to positively identify him as the suspect through DNA evidence collected from a rape kit.
Roughly a week after the incident, authorities tracked Stone at North Marion High School and took him in for questioning. He later admitted to the crime, adding that he went into the victim's home to watch pornography before he attacked the 91-year-old, per Click Orlando.
"It came as a shock that any individual would commit such an act on a 91-year-old, but it is truly disturbing when we see the young age of the arrestee," Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. "Hopefully, his arrest will lead to getting him help that prevents any further such acts."
Stone has been charged as an adult with one count of sexual assault by someone under 18 years toward a victim over the age of 12 and burglary of a dwelling with battery.
